The Beauty and the Tragedy
by EssayJay
Summary: AU. The year is 1914. Sixteen-year-old Rory Gilmore-Hayden is made to spend the summer at the Huntzberger manor as a means to get to know her future husband, Logan. Lorelai accompanies her daughter and the Gilmore girls set out to discover the meaning of love.
1. The Invitation

**Author's Note: Welcome to the first fanfiction I have posted in years. As always, _Gilmore_ _Girls _characters and concepts are all the property of their original owners, and I don't own anything. I'm excited about this story, so if you like it, please review, and if you don't, please review also. I happily accept any and all criticisms :)**

**Also, I apologize if any characters seem a bit OOC. I'm still trying to flesh out what it means for the Gilmore Girls to live 100 years ago :)**

_March 1914_

Spring was coming. The remainder of that winter's snow crunched under Rory Gilmore-Hayden's boots as she traipsed through the courtyard of her grandparent's manor. She took off a glove to feel the hanging branches of the leafless trees, but could swear that she saw buds sprouting from the wood. She breathed in the fresh air that for the first time in months didn't hold the threat of a blizzard. Spring was coming. She just knew it.

She jumped up on one of the stone benches that surrounded the courtyard and walked across it, pretending she was an acrobat. She had been doing this since she was a little girl, when she used to live here with her parents before they had moved to their cottage on the outskirts of Star's Hollow. That had been over a decade ago, when Rory was the mere age of five. She was sixteen now, practically a woman, and she was still playing make-believe in her grandparent's courtyard. She should have been self-conscious, but she wasn't. This place represented youth to Rory, of a time when life was a bit less complicated.

Five years ago, Rory's father had left America to work in Europe. He had been granted an opportunity with his father's insurance company, and it was not questioned whether or not he was going to take it. He did not even ask Rory or her mother whether they wanted to accompany him; at the time, Rory had attributed this to not wanting to uproot his family when the move may just be temporary. It had taken her years to realize he just didn't want them there. He had left on the first ship out of New York, and Rory had not seen him since. She didn't even know where he was anymore, as he had stopped writing two years into his leave. Rory had accepted that he wasn't coming back. She thought her mother may have held out the faintest of hopes for his return, but Rory knew that getting married at sixteen and raising a daughter was not what he had in mind for his life. It made her sad, but she couldn't hold it against him. If she could get out and experience the world, she would take the opportunity as well. Perhaps she got that from him.

Thankfully, Rory didn't feel too much of a void in her life with the disappearance of her father, as her mother was able to fill whatever emptiness may have existed. Lorelai Gilmore was Rory's best friend and confidant, the only person in the world that truly understood her. Lorelai had Rory when she was sixteen years old, after finally marrying her life-long love, Christopher Hayden. Their families had arranged the marriage between themselves since the birth of their children, so Lorelai had spent her entire life with the knowledge that she was going to marry Christopher. Rory had always found it odd, that her mother agreed so easily to marry Christopher, when her mother was the kind of woman to defy convention on a regular basis. This was the woman that would lay outside on the lawn in her bloomers for the world to see and name her daughter after herself (because men do it all the time – why couldn't women?), yet she agreed wholeheartedly to marry Christopher. Rory secretly knew it was because she had loved Christopher since she was a little girl, and would always love him, no matter how far away he was. Rory often wondered if she would love someone, besides her mother, the same way. She highly doubted it.

She sat down on the bench and rested her chin in her hand. She wondered what her family was discussing inside, and why they had suggested she come out here. It was something to do with her, she knew. She could tell by the way her grandmother had excitedly hurried her out the door as she insisted that they needed to talk to Lorelai alone. If it were good news to do with Mama, Rory would have been allowed to listen. No, it was definitely some new revelation in the Gilmore household, something to do with Rory, and something that she wasn't privy to yet. She looked towards the house and heard raised voices. This was going to be a curious evening.

* * *

"No," Lorelai said adamantly. "She's not going."

She was sitting in her parent's living room, facing her two parents as they rallied against her. This was all too familiar a scene.

Richard Gilmore sighed. "Yes, she is, Lorelai. How many times do we have to explain this? This is a vital opportunity for her, and not only that, for the whole family. Imagine the partnerships that could come out of a match like this! She is going, end of discussion."

His wife, Emily, nodded vehemently beside him.

"The Huntzbergers are an important family," Emily conceded. "Wealthy, too. Rory will be settled for life. She won't have a worry in the world."

"That doesn't mean she'll want to marry him," Lorelai protested. "She's met him! She knows what he's like!"

"And what is that, Lorelai?" Emily asked sternly.

"Rich! Privileged!"

"_She_ is rich and privileged," Richard argued. "She is, whether you like it or not!"

"No matter how much you want to deny it," Emily said. "We know you enjoy living your deluded life in that silly cottage in that silly town, but if we have the opportunity to give our granddaughter a _good_ life, we're going to do it."

"She's _my_ daughter!" Lorelai said. "Should I not have some sort of say in this?"

"Unfortunately, Mitchum Huntzberger wrote to me, not you, Lorelai," Richard said matter-of-factly.

"And why didn't he write to me? Does he think me dead?" Lorelai asked.

"No, he simply knows that Christopher is no longer in the picture, so he took it upon himself to write to the father figure in Rory's life. It's a sign of respect, Lorelai."

"_Respect_?" Lorelai repeated, exasperated. "It's _respectful_ to simply ignore the fact that Rory has a perfectly capable mother? The only constant person in her life, and he thinks it's _respectful_ to just ignore me? He sounds like a dashing man. Irresistible, I'm sure."

"You are impossible," Richard said. "She is going. Rory will benefit from this match. Everyone will benefit from this match. _You_ will benefit from this match, and believe me, you could use it."

"And does Rory get a say?" Lorelai said. "Or will you force marriage down her throat?"

"I will be open to her opinions, but I have already written to Mitchum accepting his invitation. I am in charge here, Lorelai, with that girl's father gone. It is my responsibility that she finds a good husband," Richard said.

"You _accepted_ it? Without even talking to me? Her _mother_?" Lorelai exclaimed.

"Lorelai, you don't get a say in this. This is the best possible thing that could happen to Rory at her age. She's young, she's beautiful, and she's marriageable. This is a wonderful match. These are the way things are done, Lorelai. You know this."

"Thank-you for explaining that my daughter doesn't get a choice in who she marries, and I can't help her at all, no matter what," Lorelai said, fuming. "Now I'm going to find _my_ child and bring her back so that you can explain her entire future to her. Excuse me."

Lorelai stood up from the chesterfield on which she was sitting and stormed out the back door that led to the courtyard. She breathed in the fresh air, trying to calm down and caught sight of her sixteen-year-old daughter sitting on one of the stone benches, looking over in her direction.

Rory was beautiful, and Lorelai was certain she wasn't just biased because she was her daughter. Rory had wide blue eyes, not unlike her own, and long brown hair, which was typically plaited down her back for everyday wear; however, when they visited Lorelai's parents, Rory enjoyed wearing it down over her shoulders, as she was right now. Sometimes, when Lorelai looked at her, she could scarcely believe she was her little girl. And soon, she wouldn't be.

"Hi, sweetheart," Lorelai sat down next to her daughter, wrapped her arm over her shoulder and kissed Rory's temple. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Mama," Rory said, eyeing her mother. "Are _you_ alright?"

Lorelai sighed. "I am, now that I'm sitting here with you. I'm sorry about your grandparents sending you out like that. It wasn't that long, was it?"

"About fifteen minutes," Rory shrugged. "Nothing I couldn't handle. I love this courtyard."

"Remember when you used to sit underneath that tree and bring a pile of books with you?" Lorelai asked, smiling at the memory and pointing to the small redbud tree across from them. "You used to call it your reading tree."

"Of course I remember," Rory laughed.

"Sometimes I forget how much you've grown up," Lorelai said distantly. Rory looked at her mother with a soft expression and kissed her cheek.

"I'm still your best friend," Rory said. "Your kindred spirit."

"That you are," Lorelai said, smiling. "You better get inside, I can feel a cold front coming in."

"Spring's coming, though, Mama, can't you feel it?" Rory said, smiling, looking up into the sky. Rory didn't seem to be affected by the breeze sweeping over the Gilmore manor, and in fact sat up straighter to embrace it. Lorelai looked at her daughter and wished she could bottle her innocence forever. She squeezed her daughter closer to her.

"Your grandparents want to talk to you about something," Lorelai said and stood up.

"What is it?" Rory asked, following her mother into the house, eager to know the news. Lorelai opened the door and Rory entered the living room to see her grandparents facing her, beaming.

"Hello, Grandmother – hello, Grandfather," Rory said tentatively.

"Sit down, sit down, darling," Emily said excitedly, gesturing to the chesterfield where Lorelai had previously been sitting. Lorelai sat down next to her daughter and lay back in a rebellious fashion, arms crossed and legs spread, just like she used to sit when she was a child and was angry with her parents. Her parents looked at her disapprovingly before turning their attention to Rory, who was sitting up straight, hands clasped on her lap, a small smirk on her face; her mother never ceased to amuse her.

"Rory, we have some exciting news," Richard started.

"And before you say anything, we want you to hear us out completely," Emily continued.

"This could be an exciting opportunity for you," Richard said. He took a deep breath. "You're familiar with the Huntzbergers?"

Rory stared at them. "You mean Logan Huntzberger? Of course… we just attended his birthday party a few weeks ago." Rory shuddered a bit at the memory. A party full of stuffy, wealthy people and their boring topics of conversation. She had only gone as a favour to her grandparents; they had brought her along as a guest, knowing there would be people her own age she could potentially get to know. She danced once, with her grandfather, and spent the rest of the night in a closet with a lantern and _Pride and Prejudice_.

"Yes, precisely," Richard said, nodding. "Well, I have recently received a letter from Mitchum, Logan's father. Old friend, you know, old friend indeed."

Rory nodded and continued to stare, waiting for the punch line.

"He has invited you to stay the summer at the his home."

Rory looked back and forth between her grandparents and then back at her mother. Lorelai had sat up at this point and put her hand upon her daughter's clasped ones, silently showing her unwavering support.

"But…why?" Rory asked. She was genuinely confused as to why the largest newspaper entrepreneur in New England would be inviting her, simple Rory Gilmore-Hayden, to his mansion for an entire summer. It couldn't just be out of the goodness of his heart. She thought for a minute. She wasn't stupid – innocent, perhaps, inexperienced, yes, but not stupid. She looked at the ground as she said, "He wants me to marry Logan, doesn't he?"

Richard smiled. "I think Logan is the one who is primarily interested. It seems you really caught his eye at that party of his."

"I didn't say two words to him!" Rory protested. "Well, perhaps I said 'happy birthday', but that was the extent of it. I certainly didn't give him the idea that I was interested in marriage."

Lorelai squeezed her daughter's hand. Rory looked back down at the floor.

"I'm only sixteen," Rory said. "I still feel like a child."

"You _are_ a child," Lorelai said.

"No, Lorelai, she is not," Emily said. "I was married at sixteen, and if I recall, so were you."

"To a man I'd known my entire life!" Lorelai said. "Christopher and I were best friends, we'd known each other for years."

"That's what this summer is supposed to be. A time to get to know each other," Emily argued. "Logan is a fine match for Rory."

"A fine match indeed," Richard agreed. "The amount of families in our social circle who want their eligible daughters to marry the Huntzberger heir is extraordinary. Rory, you should consider yourself lucky."

"I don't consider myself anything," Rory said. "And I'd appreciate it if you were to stop talking about me as though I'm a cow on auction."

Richard and Emily looked taken back.

"Rory!" Emily gasped. "That's not behaviour we'd expect from you."

"I'm sorry, Grandmother, Grandfather," Rory said, standing up and smoothing out her dress. "I need to think about this. Excuse me." She walked out of the living room and into the foyer, where she sank down to the floor and stared off into space.

_Logan Huntzberger_. The heir to the Huntzberger empire. No finer match to be found anywhere.

But did she want to marry the man? He was only a few years her senior, and he _was_ strikingly handsome, but to Rory he seemed a bit … _arrogant_. The few times she'd met him, Logan was always the one to have hoards of girls around him, or be showing off his rather large yacht, or be gambling away large sums of money like it was nothing. It wasn't something that Rory was particularly attracted to. But then again, she didn't exactly know him. Like she'd told her grandparents, she'd only given him her best wishes at his birthday party. And what had he said back? Rory racked her brain, trying to remember.

"Thank you, beautiful."

His voice came back to her in waves, strange and unfamiliar, and she suddenly felt very nervous. The thought of marrying a man she didn't know frightened her. The thought that he found her attractive and wanted to pursue her gave her butterflies, ones that made her stomach drop in panic. She didn't know how to deal with these feelings. She didn't _want_ to deal with these feelings. She buried her face in her hands.

Rory must have been sitting outside for ten minutes before the door from the living room creaked open and in came her mother, shutting the door behind her. She sat down next to Rory and said, "Talk to me, sweetheart."

Rory looked up at her mother.

"Do you think I should I marry him?" Rory asked. "Tell me honestly."

"What do you think?" Lorelai said. She took Rory's hand in hers.

"Grandfather isn't giving me a choice, is he? He's making me go there for the summer."

Lorelai was silent. "I tried to talk them out of it, Rory, I really did."

"I know, Mama," Rory said, giving her mother a faint smile. "Is the wedding set?"

"I'm assuming it will be after the summer, given that Logan still wants to marry you," Lorelai said. "But of course he will, he'd be an idiot not to."

"Funny how the man gets all the say in these things," Rory said as she stared at the ground and started scratching at it subconsciously. "I could say no, and it wouldn't mean a thing. Logan could decide he doesn't want to marry me anymore, and it's all over."

"Men get whatever they want, darling," Lorelai said. "It's unfair and it's cruel, but it's the way it's always been."

Rory stood up.

"Come on, Mama, I need to fix things with Grandfather and Grandmother, and then can we please go home?"

"Of course," Lorelai said, following her daughter through the door back to the living room.

"Grandfather, Grandmother," Rory started, as her grandparents sat up straight, anticipating the apology. "I'm sorry for my behaviour. I've calmed down and given it some thought, and I would be happy to spend the summer at the Huntzberger's. I would appreciate it, though, if I could have just one thing."

"What is that, Rory?" Richard said, clearly still not impressed with his granddaughter's earlier behaviour.

"Mama comes with me."

Rory looked over at her mother, who beamed at her. Richard sighed.

"I suppose I should have expected that."


	2. Start of Something New

**Author's Note: Thank-you so much for all your feedback! I'm sorry if this chapter is a bit slow, I had to fit in a lot of back story into it. As always, please review whether you like it or not! Also, I find it interesting all the Logan/Rory fans that have commented, expecting a Rogan story.. I just want you to know that I am not promising that pairing! Thanks again!**_  
_

_She was walking down the aisle, a bouquet of daisies in her hand, per her mother's request. The long, white train belonging to her very expensive wedding gown trailed behind her, swallowing her whole, emulating her vulnerability. To her right, her grandfather was holding her arm, walking in sync with her, the proudest of looks upon his face. She looked straight ahead; at the end of the aisle stood a handsome man, with messy blonde hair and dark eyes, looking straight at her and wearing a smug expression. She quickly broke her eyes away from his glance and kept moving forward, making eye contact with her mother, who was sitting in the crowd. Her mother gave her a small, hopeful smile, and nodded forward, encouraging her to reach the end._

It's almost over. Almost over.

_Richard and Rory had reached their mark; he gave her a small kiss on the cheek and went to sit down with her mother and grandmother. She passed her bouquet off to one of her bridesmaids, though she didn't recognize them, and turned to face her future husband. He took her hands in his, and leaned in close to her ear._

_"__Thank-you, beautiful."_

* * *

Rory woke up in a cold sweat. She had been having the same recurring dream for weeks now, ever since she had agreed to go to New Haven for the summer. She didn't know what it was about Logan that terrified her so much, all she knew was that before she was aware that Logan was interested in her, she was indifferent towards the man. Now she was having recurring nightmares about their wedding day.

She sat up in bed and looked at the window. Through the drapes she could detect the faintest bit of sunlight, the dawn, and Rory knew that in a few hours' time she would be in the stagecoach on her way to the Huntzberger manor. Her heart began to race as she got out of bed, her nightgown still drenched with sweat, and ran down the hall to her mother's bedroom.

"Mama?" Rory whispered, as she creaked the door open. Lorelai was sound asleep in bed, not even stirred by Rory's appearance. Her mother was not one for early mornings. Rory crawled into the bed.

"Mama?" Rory repeated, nudging her mother this time. "Mama, I had the dream again."

Lorelai groaned, her eyelids fluttered momentarily and she rubbed her eyes open. She caught sight of Rory and her face immediately read concern. "Rory? Are you alright?"

"I had the dream again," Rory sighed. "That's the fourth time this week."

"Oh, Rory," Lorelai said as she sat up and put her arm around her daughter.

"I don't know why I'm so frightened," Rory said. "It's not like I'm marrying him today. Or tomorrow for that matter. It'll be months from now."

"I don't know, sweetheart," Lorelai said, stifling a yawn. "It's a stressful time, for everyone involved."

Rory scrunched her nose in thought. "It feels peculiar. Going to meet this man who I'm going to be made to spend my life with because he's a 'good match'. What if I never love him? What if he never loves me?"

"I don't know what to tell you, Rory," Lorelai said with a concerned tone. "I was lucky enough to marry someone I loved, and whom I thought loved me back. Marriage is only one piece of your life. You can do a million other things besides get married, things that make you happy. Maybe you can even afford to go to Yale if you marry Logan."

"Mama, you know affordability has never been the determining factor of my going to Yale," Rory scoffed and rolled her eyes. "It's because I'm a woman. I'm a woman, and because of that, I don't get to live a life that I choose."

"Who knows what will happen yet, Rory. You're still so young. You have years to decide what it is you want to do," Lorelai said.

"What are you saying, that Logan will die and I'll be free to do whatever I choose?" Rory said, stifling a laugh.

"Well, all I know is that widows are treated much better than wives whose husbands abandoned them," Lorelai sighed. "But that's another issue for another day."

Rory looked at her mother who was hiding her sadness with a faint smile.

"Do you miss him?" Rory asked quietly, even though she knew the answer.

Lorelai hesitated, "Every day. I regret the fact that he left you, most of all."

"We weren't enough for him," Rory said with a conclusive air. Lorelai shifted uncomfortably, knowing it was the truth. Rory took her mother's hand. "But we're enough for each other. And can I just say how extremely pleased I am that you're coming with me this summer? You'll be the only thing keeping me from insanity."

"I wouldn't have let you go without me, sweetheart," Lorelai said. "In fact, I really don't want you going at all. I'll go on a holiday, you stay and mind the house."

Rory laughed at that. "Yes, I'm sure you'll have loads of fun staying at the Huntzberger's all by your lonesome. I suppose we'd best get dressed. We have a long trip ahead of us."

The Gilmore girls stepped out of bed and began to dress, helping each other into corsets and day dresses. The Huntzbergers, they knew, were a class completely in themselves. If Rory had thought her grandparents were fancy, they were working class citizens compared to the Huntzbergers. Her grandparents had encouraged her to order new dresses from the catalogue before her summer excursion to New Haven. Not that her clothes weren't fancy, they just weren't elegant enough for the Huntzbergers.

Apparently, spending the summer with the Huntzbergers also consisted of spending the spring with them. Mitchum Huntzberger had wrote Richard a follow-up letter concerning the arrival dates for Rory and the timeline of certain events that were happening throughout the season. Mitchum had strongly recommended that she arrive in time for the spring ball that they were holding at the Huntzberger manor on April 31st, as it would be a wonderful way to become acquainted with the house and the people in their social circle. Her grandfather had graciously accepted, of course. He encouraged Lorelai and Rory to have their things packed in time to leave for the ball, which would be tomorrow night. Rory had ordered a pale blue ball gown for the event, something her grandmother had highly recommended she buy, but Rory wasn't too fond of it. When she tried it on, she wasn't entirely convinced it was herself wearing it; it was as though someone had taken over her body and put on a ridiculous costume.

Rory wasn't sure where her distaste for the rich and privileged lifestyle had come from; she supposed it may have had something to do with the stigma that her mother had forced into her mind over the years, but even deeper than that, she truly didn't feel as though she belonged in that world. Every elegant event she had gone to, every sophisticated dress she had been forced into, was never something she longed to participate in. The mind-numbing gossip over various society members, the rich food and drink, the tightness of her corsets – it was never anything she enjoyed. She could never wait to just come home, rip off her dress, and bury herself in a good book. This was partially why she was dreading the summer so much; it would be this type of life, but day in and day out, possibly forever. While she knew that this was inevitably supposed to be her destiny, being apart of the Gilmore family, she couldn't help but think that she was horribly out of place.

Lorelai had never truly belonged either; it was her very nature to be rebellious. The stories Rory heard from her mother and grandparents of Lorelai as a child never ceased to amuse her. How she would sneak out her bedroom window during stuffy parties held at the Gilmore house, how she would make funny faces at the man who came to paint her portrait (so much so that he had to leave – he couldn't take it anymore), how she would hike up the hem of her dresses to such a provocative part of her leg that she was removed from most of the balls she attended. This was all before the age of sixteen, when she had married Christopher and gave birth to Rory. Rory liked to think of her parents as partners in crime at that age, defying convention together one party at a time. The way Lorelai described it, that's exactly the way it was. They were best friends, eventually turned husband and wife and Lorelai was completely in love with him; he was the only part of her world that she embraced as part of herself.

That's why it had been so hard on them when Christopher had left the family. Christopher had been working for his father's insurance company since Rory was born. When Rory was a little girl, Christopher's parents, Straub and Francine Hayden, moved to France to expand the family business. Years later, when Rory was eleven, Straub had written to Christopher asking if he cared to come to France to temporarily work at the French branch. At first, Christopher seemed torn between traveling and leaving the family, but Lorelai had encouraged him to go because he would be making much more money, and after all, the job was only temporary. Christopher left with tearful goodbyes and promises to write every week, only for every week to turn into every month, to every six months, to a note at Christmas and then nothing. He even stopped sending money; that was when Lorelai had been forced to get a job as a maid at the local inn, the Independence Inn, just so that they had food to put on the table. Lorelai's parents had long disapproved of Lorelai's profession, claiming that they could just give her whatever money she needed, but Lorelai was far too proud for that. She would do things her way, or not at all.

"Mia wasn't angry, was she? About you having to take the summer off from work?" Rory asked, as Lorelai did up her corset. Mia was the owner of the Independence Inn. She had retained ownership of the building when her husband died, and since then, she had hired almost all female workers. She, too, liked to defy convention.

"Not at all," Lorelai said as she tightened the strings. "She was concerned for you and this whole situation, more than anything."

"She needn't worry about anything," Rory said. "I'll have you with me."

"That's very true, my darling. Logan Huntzberger doesn't hold a candle to me," Lorelai said, grinning. "How does that feel? Too tight?"

"Of course, but is that not the point?" Rory answered through struggled breaths.

"It's cruel," Lorelai said as she knotted the corset. "Is this considered abuse?"

"I'd say so, but I asked for it. Or rather, Grandmother asked for it. Thank-you for never making me wear a corset."

"It's inhumane," Lorelai said. "Which dress are you going to wear?"

"I suppose just my long white one, with the pink sash, and my large sunhat. Grandmother said it looked best on me, and she knows best, I suppose."

"What do you know, there _are_ some things my mother and I agree on," Lorelai said, mock surprise on her face. "I think that dress looks beautiful on you. I'll help you put it on. And then we better go wait outside, I think the stagecoach will be here at nine o'clock."

Rory felt the butterflies swarm in her stomach. _This is it._

* * *

At nine o'clock sharp, the stagecoach that Mitchum Huntzberger sent from New Haven arrived. Four magnificent horses pulled the ebony black coach and the driver, Stanley, jumped down from his perch to introduce himself. He helped Rory and Lorelai with their belongings and ushered them into the coach, which they found to be quite roomy, with red velvet seats and a black interior. Lorelai and Rory had been in stagecoaches before, but never anything quite as elegant as this.

"How much money do you think this costs?" Rory asked her mother.

"More than we will ever have," Lorelai replied as the coach began to move. Rory took one final glance through the window at her and her mother's small cottage, and she sighed as she prepared herself for the journey. She stared out the window in deep thought, watching Star's Hollow scroll past her, the gazebo reflecting the early morning sun. She would miss this place, the place she grew up, the place she might not be returning to again.

Rory barely said anything to her mother on the entire four-hour journey to New Haven. She was too nervous to speak. She would occasionally pause from the book she was reading and look out the window, into the fields or small towns they may have been passing. When they passed Hartford, Rory looked outside the window with longing; this was the only other place in the world, besides Star's Hollow, that was completely familiar to her. The place she was born, had lived, and had returned to again and again to see her grandparents. This was her last connection to home, and it was passing her by with each clomp of the horses' hooves. She wanted to jump out of the coach and run to her grandparents to beg them not to make her go, but she knew it was impossible.

Almost as though Lorelai had read her mind, she said, "No jumping out the window, Missy."

"I – I wasn't thinking that," Rory stuttered in protest. "But I am going to miss everything. I've never been away from home for this long before."

"We'll figure it out together," Lorelai said and gave her daughter a comforting smile.

"You'll come with me, won't you, Mama?" Rory asked, concern suddenly crossing her mind. "When I marry Logan? You'll move into the Huntzberger house with me?"

"Oh, Rory, I don't know if I'll be particularly welcome there," Lorelai said evasively. She broke eye contact with her daughter and looked out the window.

"No, Mama, that's not enough. You have to swear you'll come with me. I can't do this without you," Rory said and sat down next to her mother on the other side of the coach. She rested her head on her mother's shoulder. "I really can't."

Lorelai wiped the few tears that had formed away from her eyes. Luckily, Rory didn't see her do so. The thought of losing Rory was almost too unbearable for Lorelai to think about, and yet, that's all she seemed to be obsessing over these days. She knew, logically, that if Rory and Logan were married, that she would be out of the picture in a heartbeat. There would be no room left for her at the Huntzberger manor, and she would be made to go back to Star's Hollow, alone, while her daughter struggled alone somewhere far away. And Lorelai knew her daughter would struggle. If there was anything in this world Lorelai was certain of, it was how well she knew her daughter.

The coach began to slow down and Rory poked her head out of the window. They had approached a set of black, iron gates; Rory recognized these as the entrance to the Huntzberger's home. Stanley was saying something to the guard, who waved to his companion to let their coach through. The gates opened and the four horses pulled the coach up a sloped, paved path amongst a field of greens. Rory felt the tightness in her chest as she anticipated the sight she was sure to see within seconds.

They reached the top of the slope, and that's when Rory saw it. She remembered when she came here for Logan's birthday party not too many months ago, and she was in absolute awe of the sheer size of his house. Her grandparents' house was large, but again, their belongings paled in comparison to the Huntzberger's. Looking at the house from an aerial view, Rory imagined it would look like a square-like letter "u". The house was completely white, with a large fountain out front, and several shrubs and trees surrounding the steps leading up to the front doors. There were at least thirty windows just on the front side of the house. It was a daunting building, but what was even more daunting was the crowd of people standing outside the house, on the paved driveway in front of it.

Standing in the front of the crowd of people were four blonde, well-dressed people. Rory recognized them as Mitchum and Shira, Logan's parents, Honor, Logan's sister, and Logan himself. He wore a big grin on his face, and he kept turning to face two other well-dressed boys in the crowd, who gave him smug looks of admiration.

"Are you ready?" Lorelai asked. She took Rory's hand as the door to the stagecoach opened and a voice rang out over the crowd.

"Now presenting Miss Lorelai Hayden," bellowed a squat man reading off a sheet of paper outside the coach.

"_Gilmore_-Hayden," Rory growled in the man's ear as the driver helped her down from the coach. "And call me Rory, please."

"My apologies, Miss," the man said. "Rory Gilmore-Hayden!"

The crowd clapped, a thunderous applause. Rory did her best to avoid the eye contact of Logan Huntzberger.

"And her mother, Mrs. Lorelai Gilmore!" Another round of applause. Her mother stepped down from the coach, and wrapped her arm around Rory, as if to say, _I'm not going anywhere. Where you lead, I will follow_.

Mitchum and Shira approached Lorelai and Rory first.

"I'm Mitchum Huntzberger," Mitchum said as Lorelai held out her hand. Mitchum took it in his and kissed it. Mitchum was a middle-aged man with blond hair and a receding hairline. He would have been handsome in his day, Rory was certain.

"Charmed, I'm sure," Lorelai said. "My name is Lorelai. I don't believe we've met before. How gracious it is of you to invite us to your home." Rory could hardly keep from laughing. Her mother could pull off an impression of a southern belle like no other.

"The pleasure is all ours, Mrs. Gilmore," Mitchum said, staring at Lorelai longer than necessary. "And this is Rory, but of course, we've met before."

"Yes," Rory said as she stuck out her hand as well, and Mitchum once again planted a kiss on the back of it. "It's nice to see you again, Mr. Huntzberger."

"Mitchum, please," Mitchum gestured to the both of them. "And this is my wife, Shira."

"We're happy to have you here," Shira said. Shira was younger than Mitchum by at least ten years. She had beautiful blonde hair that swirled around her face, and teeth so unnaturally white that they sparkled in the sunlight.

Two figures walked up behind Shira and Mitchum. Rory looked around to see Honor and Logan standing there, ready to be introduced.

"Honor, Logan, meet Lorelai Gilmore," Mitchum said, gesturing to Lorelai. "And of course, you know Rory."

"It's nice to meet you both," Honor said. Honor looked like her mother, only several years younger, but just as blonde, and just as beautiful. She had smile on her face that made Rory feel instantly comfortable – almost as if she'd known it for years.

"Yes, it's nice to meet you, Mrs. Gilmore." It was Logan's turn now to kiss each of the Gilmore girls' hands. He took Lorelai's first and quickly pecked it, and when he turned to Rory, he made eye contact with her for a couple of seconds before taking her hand and gently brushing it with his lips. Rory wasn't sure what to make of it. He _was_ very handsome, and now that Rory had seen him up close, she realized that her subconscious had made him a lot uglier in her dreams. He was wearing what was clearly a fine suit and tie, and he had a rough, musky smell about him.

"Shall we take you into the house?" Mitchum asked.

"If you wouldn't mind," Lorelai said. "We are quite tired from the journey." She made quick eye contact with Rory, as if to say _I'm enjoying this_. Rory broke her eyes away so as not to risk breaking into laughter.

"Of course," Mitchum said. "Gideon, would you mind getting the staff back inside the house while we escort these beautiful ladies to their rooms?" He talked down to the squat man that had announced their names, who was still standing beside them at the door of the stagecoach.

"Of course, sir," Gideon replied, and started waving the crowd of people back inside the house. Rory hadn't even remembered the crowd, but now she found that they were all staring at her.

As Mitchum took Lorelai's arm and began escorting her into the house, Logan stuck out his for Rory.

"May I?" he asked. Rory looked up at him and met his eyes. He looked genuine enough. Rory looped her arm through his, and he led her towards the front door. On the way there, as they bustled through the crowd, they passed the two boys that Logan had been exchanging glances with earlier. They playfully slapped his back and as they walked ahead of him, they shot him those smug looks again, to which he returned knowing grins. Rory pretended not to notice, promising herself to give Logan the benefit of the doubt.

The crowd thinned as the staff disappeared through their specific entrances. Rory noticed a boy about her age leaned up against the side of the house, clearly an employee of the Huntzberger household. He seemed to be waiting for the crowd to subside. He was smoking a cigarette and looking rather bored, staring off into space. Rory stared at him for only a few seconds before his eyes regained focus and he looked right back at her, his mouth exploding into a cheeky grin. He seemed to scoff, shake his head and then he put out his cigarette, only to disappear through a side door. She wondered what it was that made him react that way, but she decided not to pay him much mind. He wasn't the reason why she was here.

Logan and Rory ascended up the front steps, behind Mitchum and Lorelai, but in front of Shira and Honor. Two doormen opened the front doors for Mitchum, and he and Lorelai crossed the threshold. Rory took a deep breath and took the plunge, stepping through the doors into what would be her home for, quite possibly, the rest of her life.


End file.
